In a very honest essay about persevering as fiction writer (and having the faith to try it in the first place), Eva Lomski discusses how she manages the submissions and rejection process:
The best way I found to avoid misery over rejection was to ensure I had as many stories on submission as possible, so that when the inevitable email arrived, my emotional investment was left relatively unscathed. Every so often, I went through the spreadsheet, counted my “successes” and calculated my hit rate. It remained stable.
Click here to read Eva’s entire essay, in the latest Glimmer Train bulletin.
Read more essays on the writing life at Glimmer Train’s site:
- Some Things I Didn’t Realize About Myself Before I Wrote Them Down by Stefani Nellen
- Write Locally by William Luvaas
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
I’m heading over now. Thank you, in advance, as this is something I am experiencing at the moment!
Jane, I like the idea that you’re trying to teach social media without making those who implement social strategies “feel like marketers”. I’m sure you may already know (or know about) Scott Stratten at http://www.unmarketing.com. It seems as though the best types of marketing in the digital age seem like anything BUT marketing; they seem more like, to use Scott’s URL, “un”marketing. Happy new year. Joe Kovacs
That is excellent advice!
Thank you for great suggestion! I recognize myself in some moments 😉